Rangers cull begins with Wylde and Celik first out

Gregg Wylde and Mervan Celik have become the first two players to be made redundant at crisis club Rangers.

The pair have left the club as part of the cutbacks required since they fell into administration last month. Wylde, 20, made 47 appearances for the club.

Wylde left Rangers this morning after asking to be released from his contract ahead of impending redundancies at Ibrox.

The winger, 20, who broke into the first team two years ago, made the decision to walk without any redundancy pay after administrators Duff and Phelps rejected an offer from players to defer payment on their wages.

He said: ‘I wanted to help out the club by keeping people in a job. I was so tired I couldn’t really sleep at night. It was getting to me so I thought I would leave.’

Further departures are likely with administrators Duff and Phelps expected to make redundancies after they failed to reach an agreement with the players on cost-cutting.

Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew, the Clydesdale Bank Premier League player of the month for February, expressed sympathy for Wylde.

‘I know one or two of them,’ said Mulgrew. ‘Somebody mentioned Gregg Wylde I know him and I know his family well.

‘So I have a lot of sympathy towards him and I just hope things can get better over there. It just shows how good a character he is (to give up wages).

‘Somebody was saying at lunch that he came through here (at Celtic) when he was 11. I am sure he will do OK and go on and get another club because he has done very well at Rangers and he is a very good player.’